The Little World

If someone is so kind as to prepare an entire aero engine for me, I should be very ungrateful not to take notice of their effort. This is the philosophy that compelled me to construct a tiny, hidden component for the I-16. It has worked out beautifully, and I am loathe to close it in forever without recording it.

The radial engine sits on a ring framework that attaches to the firewall – the whole forming a subassembly that should seal off the middle of the fuselage. I viewed this askance as I have experienced the engineering of Czech kits that depends upon minimal touch in there to support major structures. In the case of this Ukrainian product there was no need to fear – the firewall did what it said on the tin. As did the nose of the plane once the centre was hollowed out to make space for the crankcase cover.

The two side panels do fit into their respective spaces, but I fear ICM are a little bit more ambitious than I could manage when they expect me to attach the exhaust pipes before closing up. I’ll chicken out, trim them to stubs, and add the stubs after the entire paintwork is finished.

In the future, if I make another I-16 in Spanish republican colours to accompany my two bombers, I’ll deliberately build it with the side covers off to show the complexity of the engine.

Note that the fuselage went together perfectly – the ICM moulders are top-notch.